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View Full Version : Right channel sounds louder in stereo mode



dpristin
06-17-2005, 09:58 AM
Hi everybody,

Has anybody experienced anything similar – I have a 5.1 Ascend setup powered by Marantz SR-8400 and calibrated using a RadioShack SPL meter. Everything sounds as expected (perfectly centered) when I play movies or multichannel music (including Circle Surround mode - similar to DPLII) but in 2-channel mode the image seems to be shifted to the right; both me and my wife can notice that. The decoding is done by the receiver so CD player is not to blame. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.

Regards,
Dmitry.

curtis
06-17-2005, 10:27 AM
I would try test tones with your SPL meter first, but it seems like your receiver has different channel level settings in stereo mode.

Some receivers have different channel levels per input.

Eddie Horton
06-17-2005, 10:36 AM
Ditto what Curtis said. Go through the receiver's setup menu and see if it stores different channel levels for each input or DSP setting.

nhan070
06-17-2005, 12:29 PM
I've experienced something similar. What I discovered is the effect was due to the room configuration. On the wall to the right (where the image is shifted) is a large window with vertical blinds (some times opened and some times closed). And on the wall to the left is just plain ole flat dry wall with nothing on it. As most know, having a flat plain wall isn't a good thing b/c of sound cancelation.

Anyways, I find that if I close the blinds (simiulating the flat surface of the other wall) the imaging improves otherwise it is wacked. I also tried hanging something on the left wall (using mirror reflection method to locate point of reflection) at one time and that also helped. I'm currently in the process of looking for something to place on the left wall permanently (acoustics panel or equivalent) to statisfy the WAF.

I also experienced this shift while helping a friend calibrate his system (not Ascends :( ). And I found the problem was also due to the room configuration and speaker placement although the SPL meter check out fine. He had the right speaker placed in a corner spot while his left speaker was opened to the room.

So this might be the problem.... so what's your setup?

dpristin
06-17-2005, 12:30 PM
Hmm - I checked the manual and it turns out that my receiver doesn't have that option (separate settings for each input). The only thing that I could think of is if I pressed the "Source-direct" button which defeats all the processing. I'll verify this when I'm home.

Thanks for the advice!
D.

dpristin
06-17-2005, 12:40 PM
I've experienced something similar. What I discovered is the effect was due to the room configuration. On the wall to the right (where the image is shifted) is a large window with vertical blinds (some times opened and some times closed). And on the wall to the left is just plain ole flat dry wall with nothing on it. As most know, having a flat plain wall isn't a good thing b/c of sound cancelation.

Anyways, I find that if I close the blinds (simiulating the flat surface of the other wall) the imaging improves otherwise it is wacked. I also tried hanging something on the left wall (using mirror reflection method to locate point of reflection) at one time and that also helped. I'm currently in the process of looking for something to place on the left wall permanently (acoustics panel or equivalent) to statisfy the WAF.

I also experienced this shift while helping a friend calibrate his system (not Ascends :( ). And I found the problem was also due to the room configuration and speaker placement although the SPL meter check out fine. He had the right speaker placed in a corner spot while his left speaker was opened to the room.

So this might be the problem.... so what's your setup?

Well - in this case wouldn't the soundstage be shifted on one side in every mode (both surround and stereo)? That's exactly the weird thing - surround mode works just fine (even a simulated surround like CS or DPLII), only stereo causes problems. But to be fair - the room is ugly. It's L-shaped and there is "a large window with vertical blinds (some times opened and some times closed)" :) . And guess what - one of CMT-340s is closer to a corner than another. Well - I need to think about buying a new house for my Ascends :) .

nhan070
06-17-2005, 01:03 PM
Well - in this case wouldn't the soundstage be shifted on one side in every mode (both surround and stereo)?

I'm not sure but it appears to me the shift isn't as apparent with all the speakers "active". Especially for the front stage where you have the three active sources where the center ch. might be alleviating some of the shift vs basic 2 channel where impact to imaging would will be more prominent.

...I'm totally with you...on that new house fix idea...

dpristin
06-17-2005, 01:06 PM
...On another hand - addition of the center speaker (as opposite to a pure stereo) would probably pull the soundstage slightly to the left thus reducing the effect of the room acoustics...

dpristin
06-17-2005, 01:08 PM
I'm not sure but it appears to me the shift isn't as apparent with all the speakers "active". Especially for the front stage where you have the three active sources where the center ch. might be alleviating some of the shift vs basic 2 channel where impact to imaging would will be more prominent.

...I'm totally with you...on that new house fix idea...

You beat me on this one :)

Lou-the-dog
06-17-2005, 02:01 PM
I've had exactly the same experience as nahn070 and in 5 channel it doesn't seem to be as prominent. Try moving that "weaker" sounding speaker forward six inches or reduce the tow-in on the "stronger" speaker a few degrees.

Randy

jermy4
06-17-2005, 09:13 PM
I've had exactly the same experience as nahn070 and in 5 channel it doesn't seem to be as prominent. Try moving that "weaker" sounding speaker forward six inches or reduce the tow-in on the "stronger" speaker a few degrees.

Randy The toe in is the trick. I experienced this with my 170s until I got the angle just right.

Lou-the-dog
06-21-2005, 05:22 PM
Dpristin,

Were you able to come to a conclusion on your speaker level situation??

Randy

dpristin
06-22-2005, 07:16 AM
More or less - thanks everybody for the advice. I did move the speakers around a bit and for the most of the cases it helped. Sometimes (especially while listening to some bad recording with over-pronounced highs) the soundstage seems shifted to the right but not very often.

davef
06-22-2005, 11:23 PM
Hi Dimitry,

Let’s do a little experiment here to see if we can determine exactly what is causing this... I suspect it is due to your room and setup, but let's make 100% sure...

Step 1.. Pull out one of your 2-channel music CD's that clearly exhibits the soundstage shift towards one side.

Step 2.. Sit in your listening position and be sure you are seated halfway between the left and right speakers.

Step 3.. Have a good listen and mark down on a piece of paper whether the soundstage is shifted left or right.

Step 4.. Quickly swap the left and right speakers, making sure the position of each is the exact same as before the swap

Step 5.. Listen to the exact same recording as before.. Did the soundstage stay the same or is it more focused toward the opposite side?

Step 6.. If it followed the speaker, call me...

Step 7.. If the soundstage remained the same, swap the left/right speaker cables at the back of the receiver and once again have a listen.

Step 8.. Did the soundstage remain the same or did it follow the speaker cable?

Step 9.. If the soundstage remained the same, problem is almost certainly your room and or speaker positioning.

Step 10.. If the soundstage shifted and is now centered more toward the opposite side, problem is most likely due to your electronics, source, or quite possibly the speaker cable itself...

dpristin
06-25-2005, 01:09 PM
Hi everybody,

It’s almost certainly room acoustics to blame. I haven’t had enough time to try all the tests recommended by David - I'll try to do the rest of them as soons as I can; but I did try to switch banana-plugs on my receiver while playing a piano solo CD which sounds perfectly centered in the headphones and - no surprise here - the image remained slightly shifted to the same side as before. I guess I need to do something about that right corner where my right speaker is positioned (the left one is in the open area). Thanks a lot for the advise!

Regards,
Dmitry.